Thanksgiving is stressful. Whether you’re preparing a huge Friendsgiving feast for your crew or headed to a family gathering, it’s an easy holiday to get overwhelmed by. While your typical move might be to drown all that stress in Pinot Noir, with the increase in the availability of recreational marijuana, weed might be making an appearance at some holiday celebrations this year as well.

So, how do you pair marijuana with Thanksgiving? We chatted with Eaze’s Sheena Shiravi about the right way to make it happen:

Advertisement

The best solution: low-dose drops and tinctures, vaporizers, or edibles.

“CBD drops and tinctures are becoming a growing category,” says Shiravi. She says putting CBD drops (CBD is key here) in your drink as you go will likely ultimately lead you to consume less alcohol over the course of the day, and allow you to have a more pleasant (and less hangover-filled) Black Friday.

If you have a marijuana-friendly group at your Thanksgiving feast, then you can also pair individual dishes with marijuana products. The easiest way to do that is to think about what wine you might pair with a particular food, and then select a strain that would pair with the wine.

Advertisement

For instance, turkey typically pairs nicely with a Pinot Noir. That means it would also pair really well with OG Kush, White Widow, and Himalayan Gold.

Eaze created this chart to help lay it all out:

Advertisement

Which strain goes with which food has a lot to do with the terpenes in a strain. Think of them as the essential oils in your weed that give it it’s unique flavor.

“When you think about food and wine pairings, cannabis is that extra layer that falls into that same grid,” says Shiravi. Basically, you’re looking at the terpene profile in a strain and then pairing that with your food, just how you might pair it with a wine.

The right vehicle for incorporating cannabis into your meal depends a bit on your audience. On a basic level, vaporizers are your friends in this situation, especially if you want to do a few pairings. They’re easy to pass around, are friendly for people who don’t typically smoke, and unlike a joint, you’re not struggling with what to do with the rest of it (or ending up with a bunch of stinky half-smoked joints) if the group doesn’t finish it. You’re also not dealing with a hazy dining room full of smoke.

Advertisement

“Passing a vaporizer around isn’t as intrusive,” says Shiravi.

That said, pre-rolls can also come in handy if you buy small ones that you know the group will be able to quickly finish with a trip around the table. A pre-roll can also be a nice way to kick the meal off and can help stimulate everyone’s appetite for the big feast.

If people start to get sleepy during the meal, then a high CBD vaporizer can help perk people up.

The goal here is to have a nice, relaxing time, not to get super stoned. For dinner, Shiravi recommends going with a sativa strain, which will keep people socializing. When it comes time for dessert, and indica strain can help slow things down and end the evening.

If you’re not quite ready to pair marijuana with your whole meal, then Shiravi says it can also come in handy while you’re prepping for that big feast.

“Personally I love hosting, I love cooking,” says Shiravi. “Being on your feet all day long and cooking is actually exhausting. And when you’re drinking wine throughout the day, things get a little fast and loose. For the host, a low-dose edible or a high CBD vaporizer is so clutch.”

It takes the edge off, so you’re not freaking out about your guests getting along, or worrying that you’ve forgotten some key element of the meal. A low-dose edible (something 3mg or less) can be enough to keep you going without making you so stoned you’ll lose momentum or start forgetting important steps in the prep process.

Advertisement

“CBD gives you a little pep, and the low-dose edible will relieve some of the pain you’re feeling,” she says.